Is your child missing a hot meal at school or has your child experienced any problems with the new ‘fingerprint’ system at Morley High School? If so please email morleyparents@yahoo.co.uk (anonymity assured)

My son has just started a high school in South Leeds, West Yorkshire UK
I opted for this school because it *wasn’t* using biometrics.
We attended the opening evening prior to the six week holidays.
There was much emphasis about healthy nutritious food available in the school canteen that we could sample. At the time, I felt really good that my son was about to attend a decent school.

or so I thought……..

Then on the second day of the new term, a school letter arrived about the benefits of a cashless catering system. It was written in such a language that made the scheme appear to be ‘wonderful’. Nothing of any truthful explanation about biometric data collection. NOTHING to request parental permission, only that parents could attend a meeting.

Unfortunately the vast majority of parents who attended the meeting had absolutely no idea about what was really going. They believed the ’spin’ from the biometrics salesperson and The head teacher mentioning that the scheme was compulsory.

Less than 24 hours after the meeting most of the kids were quickly rounded up, had mugshots and fingerprints taken. I know for a fact that many of the kids were very scared, knowing instinctively that something was very wrong about this. The kids have been psychologically bullied in various ways to hand over their precious & very personal information.
Threats of going in the isolation unit, threats that they wouldn’t be able to attend school, no school trips or outings, not being able to eat food if they did not comply.
It is an absolute scandal.

Parents really do need to do their homework before they are even in a situation to make an informed choice about biometrics. How is this possible, when a scheme is quickly introduced by stealth and data collected from the children as quickly as possible?

If this was really such an open & honest scheme there would have been parental consultation about it long before its implementation. It would certainlly not have been introduced by stealth. Parents would have been asked for permission and children would not have to be frightened.

Incidentally I have already heard of around 7 courageous children who had the common sense to refuse to fingerprinted & photographed. Good on them!

Come on parents out there, inform yourselves about fingerprinting children
visit leavethemkidsalone.com and then make up your own minds.

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/kidsprivacy/?bcsi_scan_9D0F4D43E3840141=0